PARIS, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Retailer Casino said
sales growth slowed sharply in the third quarter, reflecting a
slowdown in Brazil, its biggest market, and weaker sales at home
resulting from low consumer confidence and poor summer weather.

Casino, which generates 60 percent of its sales in emerging
markets and controls Brazil's Grupo Pao de Acucar,
posted third-quarter group sales of 11.97 billion euros ($15.15
billion). Analysts on average had expected sales of 11.8
billion, according to a Thomson Reuters poll.

Stripping out acquisitions, disposals, currency effects and
fuel, sales rose 2.8 percent, slower than the 6.5 percent growth
recorded in the second quarter.

"In the third quarter we faced a challenging environment
with a deceleration of the Brazilian economy and a weaker
France," Chief Financial Officer Antoine Giscard d'Estaing told
analysts.

However, he was "comfortable" with the market consensus for
2014 earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT), which currently
stood at 2.34 billion euros against 2.4 billion in mid-July.
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